Tyronn Lue goes by a different playbook for LePostseason.
Speaking with the media after team practice on Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach said that he wasn’t concerned about LeBron James’ increased playoff workload.
“Of course, we’re always cognizant of LeBron’s minutes, but in looking at this situation, we didn’t look at the minutes as an issue,” Lue said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It makes more sense to close out the series and have the additional rest versus playing potentially even more minutes, potentially 96-144 more minutes. Closing out and the rest that comes with it far outweighs the other potential scenario.
“I mean, I don’t understand why people make a big deal out of minutes,” continued Lue. “He had a week off before the series started. We won four straight games, and then he had a week off again. So next [series] he might play 48 minutes.”
The 32-year-old James played a seemingly exorbitant 43.8 minutes per game in the Cavs’ first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, tops among all players so far this postseason. But as Lue alluded to, sweeping the series gave James and the Cavs at least a full week of rest before the start of the second round, making any apprehension over minutes a moot point.
Lue was more concerned about the workload issue during the regular season, even if James also led the league then with 37.8 minutes per game. But with no back-to-backs to worry about and the high-stakes nature of every single game, it will be all systems go for The King from here on out.
